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Friends and colleagues,
The 82nd legislative session begins on Tuesday, January 17 and I am eager to serve my second full session as your state senator from Senate District 30. It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve you and represent you once again in Salem. While Oregon has many challenges ahead, I am committed to ensuring you have a voice and an advocate in our capitol to take on these issues.
This session, I will be heavily focused on policies that improve the quality of life for all Oregonians whether that is by reducing tax burdens on hard-working families, improving opportunities for small businesses and small business owners, providing options for increased housing affordability, relief and support for farmers and ranchers, and much more.
Most importantly, my team and I are here to serve you and your priorities. In addition to my Chief of Staff Siera Watson, we have expanded our two to include two new top-notch policy analysts—you can read more about them and how to contact them below.
We will be engaging constituents like you at various levels with virtual town halls, community highlights, visiting opportunities at the capitol and more. Please contact us at any time with your questions, comments, concerns, and needs, and we will get back to you as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve. Here we go!
Sincerely,
 Lynn Findley
State Senator, Senate District 30
Siera Watson, Chief of Staff
siera.watson@oregonlegislature.gov
Siera Watson serves as Senator Findley's Chief of Staff and has been with Senator Findley's office since 2019, while he was serving as State Representative. Siera began her career with the Federal Government, working on the United States Air Force Academy and for the Department of the Army. Her office is located in-district in Vale. Siera has deep Oregon roots and enjoys cooking and spending time with her family in her free time.
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Patrick Hanks, Policy Analyst
patrick.hanks@oregonlegislature.gov
Originally from our neighbor-state to the north, Patrick Hanks joins Senator Findley’s team this year as a Policy Analyst. Patrick graduated from the University of Washington in 2022 with a degree in communication. Previously, he has worked at Nintendo and Snohomish County Elections. Patrick has family connections to Malheur County and frequently visits his relatives in Vale and Ontario.
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Jake Leavitt, Policy Analyst
jake.leavitt@oregonlegislature.gov
Jacob Leavitt is a lifelong Oregonian from the Portland area. In 2022, he graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. Previously he has worked on campaigns as well as interned in Senator Findley’s office during the 2022 regular session. When he is not in the office Jacob enjoys exercising as well as spending time outside, especially in Central Oregon. Jacob is very excited to be back in Senator Findley’s office for the 2023 regular session.
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Due to the 2021 redistricting process, Senate District 30 has changed quite a bit.
My district still includes all of Baker, Grant, Harney, and Malheur Counties, but now includes all of Lake and Crook Counties. and parts of Deschutes & Jefferson Counties.
You can find an even more detailed map here.
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There are already over 4,000 pieces of legislation that have been introduced this session with thousands more to come. While I have a large list of policy priorities I will be working on this session, and many bills to be introduced at the requests of constituents like you, here are some of the first pieces of legislation I have introduced as we kick off the annual session.
Specific to my home county of Malheur:
- Senate Bill 66 - Local Marijuana Tax Increase. This legislation is a redraft and reintroduction of a similar bill from the 2021 short session.
- Senate Bill 70 - Fix to Senate Bill 16 from 2021 which would allow not usable farmland to be rezoned into 2-acre parcels for home building.
Oregon-wide:
- Senate Bill 71 - Making 100% of childcare costs tax deductible
- Senate Bill 68 - Increasing estate tax threshold. This legislation is a redraft and reintroduction of a similar bill from 2021.
- Senate Bill 59 - Estate tax threshold increase, natural resource/farm exemption
- Senate Bill 72 - Create a task force to study possible privatization of DMV
- Senate Bill 64 - Study disposal of hazardous waste batteries
In addition to these bills, I have introduced some legislation that will create exemptions under the Corporate Activity Tax (CAT Tax). Over the course of the session, our office will be providing updates on this legislation and more and welcome your questions and input.
In our next newsletter, we will share information about how to find legislation, submit testimony on bills, watch public hearings, sign up for alerts about bills, and more. Stay tuned for details and how-tos.
During the 2023 legislative session, I will serve on the following committees. I take the responsibility to serve on these committees seriously and I will share often with you the work we are doing. You can find links to the committees and meeting times below, all times are PST.
Senate Committee on Energy & Environment- Vice Chair
Meets Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00-2:30pm
Senate Finance and Revenue
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 3:00-4:30pm
Joint Ways and Means
Friday, 9:30-11:30am
Joint Transportation
Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00-6:30pm
Joint Tax Expenditures
Friday, 8:00-9:30am
Joint Interstate 5 Bridge
As needed
Over the last three years, Representative Owens and I have hosted over 20 virtual town halls reaching nearly 10,000 Oregonians from across the state. We have learned so much from you in these town halls and this helps us serve you better by being your voice in Salem and throughout our districts.
We invite you to our first virtual town hall of 2023 on Monday, January 30 from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM PST.
We'll discuss the upcoming legislative session, what to expect on the policy horizon, issues in our communities and your priorities for the legislature this year. Most importantly, we want to hear from you and give you an opportunity to ask questions, share what's on your mind and how we can help represent you. Questions can be submitted in advance when you register, using Q&A during the event or asked live during the virtual town hall.
The virtual town halls are hosted in Zoom Webinar, the event is open to the public and media. you must register prior to attending the event. please invite others to join as well by sharing this newsletter or this link. We look forward to seeing you there.
Register today, the spots fill up quickly.
One of the greatest parts of this work is connecting with you. My staff and I are available to you any time and we welcome your input, insights, feedback, questions and more. We have both a Salem office at the Capitol and also an in-district office.
In-District
150 Longfellow St. N,
Vale, OR 97918
541-473-4029
info@lynnfindley.com
Legislative
900 Court St. NE, S-301
Salem, Oregon 97301
503-986-1730
Sen.LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/findley
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